Jerry Swope began wrestling in the 1959-60 season as a sophomore on a talent-laden team at Lock Haven High School. 

As a “farm kid,” he could not participate until that year, and he only had two varsity matches. But after that, what a career - Jerry lost only one match during his entire junior and senior years, and won the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association State Championship both years (1961 and 1962). His career record at Lock Haven High was 44-2. During Jerry’s junior year, Class of 2022 Inductee Joe Hammaker was an assistant coach who wrestled with Jerry after every regular practice, contributing greatly to Jerry’s growth as a wrestler.

Jerry attended Lock Haven State College and had a remarkable career, including three titles in the incredibly wrestling rich Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. He was a four-time NAIA champion, earning Outstanding Wrestler honors in 1966, and a three-time NCAA Division I All-American with a third-place finish in 1964 and 1966 and a fifth-place finish in 1965. Jerry had 100 career wins to become the first Bald Eagle grappler to achieve that feat.

After graduating from LHSC in 1966, Jerry coached at Warrior Run and Shamokin High Schools before being named head coach at Millersville State College in 1970. He led Millersville for 15 seasons, building the Marauders into a national contender and one of the most consistent NCAA Division III programs. He transitioned the program to Division I in his final three years. His teams posted a 133-83-3 dual record, including a 104-35-2 record from 1970-79.

After a third-place finish in 1977, the Marauders finished second at the 1978 NCAA Division III national tournament. Jerry coached five Marauders to NCAA DIII individual titles and had seven wrestlers capture Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championships. Twenty two of the 25 Millersville wrestlers who have earned All-America honors were coached by Jerry.

The program’s all-time win leader, Randy March, wrestled for Jerry and he also coached Millersville Athletic Hall of Fame members Michael Panarella, Francis Presley and Andy Zook. Zook won three PSAC titles and a national title while Presley was a back-to-back national champion in 1977 and 1978.  Henry Callie, Eric Guyll and Don Wagner were also national champions. 

Jerry retired from coaching after breaking his neck, but continued to serve as a professor of health and physical education at Millersville until 2002.

He has been inducted into numerous wrestling Halls of Fame, including Lock Haven University, Millersville University Athletic, PIAA District 6, NAIA, and the West Branch Valley Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

Jerry continues to contribute to wrestling with his creation of the Todd J. Swope Memorial Scholarship at Lock Haven University. 

Jerry and his wife Darla still live in Lock Haven and he can be found matside at all home Lock Haven meets or at Penn State home matches.